Some shows are huge news and when Kinky Boots announced a UK tour, the theatre world went wild. Winner of every major best musical award, including the 2016 Olivier, London’s hottest musical is strutting its way around the UK and has stopped off in Birmingham!
Riding high on the success of its first outing in Northampton - where the story itself is set - this show comes with an astonishing pedigree. With songs by Grammy and Tony winning pop icon, Cyndi Lauper, direction and book by Broadway legend, Harvey Fierstein, the piece celebrates a joyous story which takes you from the factory floor of Northampton to the glamorous catwalks of Milan.
Based on the 2005 British film of the same name, and inspired by true events, the show tells the story of Charlie Price who, having inherited a shoe factory from his father, forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen to produce a line of high-heeled boots to save the business. And In the process, Charlie and Lola discover that they are not so different after all.
Kinky Boots is a show which celebrates a culturally diverse and forward thinking way of life and speaks to so many people on so many levels. Whatever part of the story you identify with, its safe to say there's representation on stage which makes this more than just a feel good musical. This is a piece which talks with, and connects to, the audience and that's warmly received by a diverse Brummie crowd.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't go into this with an air of trepidation. I've long considered Kinky Boots one of the best contemporary shows out there and the production shots and trailer show a very different version of the show. This production of Kinky Boots is a 'grown up' take on the original concept and injects a sense of glamour, opulence and sass.
Where the West End run and previous UK tours exuded colour and presence, there was more of a subtlety to this version, with a much more minimalistic colour palette to accentuate the bright red which pops throughout.
However, in its own way, Kinky Boots remains full on, drag queen sass from start to finish and personifies empowerment.
This is the first time such a big change in the staging of the show has been tried and it's meant that, for those who have seen the show before, certain touch points just aren't there.
No longer do we have choreography around the moving conveyor belts - in fact, no longer do we have the conveyor belts full stop. The angels have gone from stand out costumes to, at times, jeans and tshirts which makes them merge with the other cast members. The creative team have definitely pulled out all the stops to reinvent the show…but I do wonder if it's lost some of its charm in the process?
However, whilst you can have glam surroundings and a sublime soundtrack, it's the quality of the cast that makes a show like this.
Johannes Radebe took on the dress and boots of Lola and was the headline on every press release. This is his first musical and it takes a real confidence to be able to pull off a character like Lola - it's a bit like jumping from nowhere into Jean Valjean. However if anyone has that confidence, it's Radebe.
Taking a slightly different approach to previous incarnations, Lola is his to do with as he wishes and there was absolutely no compromise in his performance at all. At times she was powerful and at times he was vulnerable, this was a brilliant display of the complexity of confidence, coupled with a good comic wit.
Our leading lady has some big numbers to pull off, which Radebe clearly gave his all to. His vocals were good and he definitely holds his own. In fact when he's in 'performance mode' he’s one of the best incarnations of the character I've seen.
Alongside Radebe, Dan Partridge's take on Charlie was equally as strong. Let's face it - of our two leads, Lola is clearly the attention grabber, but Partridge does a fantastic job of keeping Charlie in the spotlight rather than be consumed by the boots and sequins.
His criticism of Lola at the end of act two was a particular stand-out moment. So many other Charlie’s temper down the aggression but as the culmination of a narcissistic outburst, it needs to shock - and Partridge nailed it.
Special mention should also go to Courtney Bowman - best known for stints in shows like Six and Legally Blonde, her comic timing and facial expressions were outstanding, as was her equally beautiful vocal. Bowman plays Lauren in a less exaggerated way to some of her predecessors, and her version of 'History of Wrong Guys' was a particular highlight. That said, it did feel like the character was used less than in previous productions, however her interpretation was brilliant.
Can we also please have a moment for Scott Paige and his take on George. Often portrayed as the older gentleman who turns out to be ‘down with the kids’, Paige is a consistently brilliant comic actor who has reinvented this role and made him one of the stand-out characters on stage. His ad libs and throwaway lines are so perfectly fitting it really made his performance something special.
Finally, a moment for the final song of the show, please.
'Raise You Up' is a phenomenon in its own right - and this productions version is definitely different, with a change in choreography and - again - different staging. However what it also is, is a 'stop what you're doing', goosebump moment. Very few shows have a single song which sums up the entire premise of the plot in a three-minute extravaganza...but Kinky Boots does, and this performance of it was just...perfect.
For anyone who watches it, no matter their situation in life, this show is simply life changing. One of the best new musicals in existence. Period.
Kinky Boots runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 19th April. For more information, or to get your tickets, head online to birminghamhippodrome.com.
